
How it all started...
Fr. Rick comes to El Paso
Our Lady’s Youth Center was founded in 1953 by Fr. Harold Rahm, S.J. to serve the needs of a poor section of downtown El Paso known as Segundo Barrio.
Father Richard (Rick) Thomas, a Jesuit priest originally from Florida, came to El Paso, Texas, in 1964 to take over running Our Lady’s Youth Center (OLYC) from Fr. Rahm.
The programs of OLYC at the time included an employment office, a credit union, sports teams for youth, English classes, and providing hot meals for hungry children of the neighborhood.
As executive director, Father Thomas continued and added to the many social services that Fr. Rahm had started, but he felt that he was not making much of an impact in the spiritual lives of those coming for help.